Gamal Awad
Encyclopedia
Gamal Awad was a squash
player from Egypt
.
Awad became the Egyptian national champion in 1976, and won the British Amateur championship in 1977 and 1978. He finished runner-up to Jahangir Khan
at both the 1982 World Masters and the 1983 British Open
.
The match for which Awad is best remembered came at the Chichester
Open in 1983 against Jahangir, which set a new world record for the longest squash match on record. The first game itself was a record for the longest single game in a squash match, as Awad recovered from 1–8 down to take the game 10–9 in 1 hour and 11 minutes. In the end, Jahangir won the match 9–10, 9–5, 9–7, 9–2 in 2 hours and 46 minutes.
Awad's acrobatic performances on the squash court earned him the nicknames "rubber man" and "grasshopper".
Awad retired from the professional squash circuit in 1987, following problems with knee injuries.
Gamal Awad died of a heart attack
on 6 November 2004 in Alexandria
at the age of 49.
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
player from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Awad became the Egyptian national champion in 1976, and won the British Amateur championship in 1977 and 1978. He finished runner-up to Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times...
at both the 1982 World Masters and the 1983 British Open
British Open Squash Championships
The British Open Squash Championships is the oldest and most established tournament in the game of squash. It is widely considered to be one of the two most prestigious tournaments in the game, alongside the World Open The British...
.
The match for which Awad is best remembered came at the Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
Open in 1983 against Jahangir, which set a new world record for the longest squash match on record. The first game itself was a record for the longest single game in a squash match, as Awad recovered from 1–8 down to take the game 10–9 in 1 hour and 11 minutes. In the end, Jahangir won the match 9–10, 9–5, 9–7, 9–2 in 2 hours and 46 minutes.
Awad's acrobatic performances on the squash court earned him the nicknames "rubber man" and "grasshopper".
Awad retired from the professional squash circuit in 1987, following problems with knee injuries.
Gamal Awad died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 6 November 2004 in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
at the age of 49.